


draw the line

by thunderylee



Series: love february 2021 [7]
Category: KAT-TUN (Band), NEWS (Japan Band)
Genre: Canon Universe, Introspection, M/M, divine intervention probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29295096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Massu inspires Nakamaru, or something.
Relationships: Masuda Takahisa/Nakamaru Yuichi
Series: love february 2021 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138346
Kudos: 7





	draw the line

**Author's Note:**

> love february day 8: muse. this is short but these are supposed to be short. at least it's out of my head now.

Nakamaru doesn’t have much time to himself these days, but when he does he likes to play around with drawing manga. He’s been told that he’s good enough to do it professionally, but that sounds like a whole other job and he’s not nearly as ambitious as Kato.

Besides, his readers would probably get tired of looking at animated versions of Massu. It took him a few years to notice, but at least one character in every universe he’s dreamed up has resembled his best friend in at least one very distinguishable way. Usually it’s the bright smile and short stature, sometimes the fire-engine red hair and appreciation for gyoza.

They say to write people you know, and Nakamaru knows Massu very well. He doesn’t _think_ he has feelings for him though, at least not three-dimensionally. When he draws him, there’s a sense of intimacy about it despite the fact that he knows it’s not real. But he can’t deny it’s what drives him to draw in the first place, fuels his passion for creating four-panel stories.

Once, when Nakamaru was having a hard time putting together a solo, he took a break to have dinner with Massu and was instantly filled with motivation. Another time, he’d been stuck on a joke for the mid-concert skit and hearing Massu talk over the phone gave him an idea. Now, he doesn’t even need Massu to be around. A thought or a memory is good enough.

Many times over the years, Nakamaru has considered telling Massu exactly how much influence he has over Nakamaru’s creativity, but it feels a little creepy to say out loud. Massu would no doubt find it amusing, maybe come around more often just to make sure that Nakamaru was properly inspired. Or maybe telling him would break some kind of fourth wall and make it all go away.

It’s not like Nakamaru ever shows anyone these drawings. It was fun when he was doing the stay-at-home projects, sharing little snippets of Massu’s idiosyncrasies with the world, but management wasn’t interested in continuing it. Nakamaru has enough Massu stories to roast him in comic form for _years_ , and he still draws them, just in the privacy of his own home.

It makes him feel good in a way that doesn’t involve an audience cheering for him.

He hasn’t seen Massu very much in the past year for obvious reasons, but he doesn’t have much time to miss him with KAT-TUN’s jump-started activities. He’s thrilled to be working as a group again, to be _busy_ again, to not have to sit at home and question his understanding of his feelings because he has too much damn time on his hands.

Probably, it’s better in his own head anyway.

The next time he sees Massu, it’s in passing backstage and a rush of energy hits Nakamaru so strongly that he almost trips over nothing. Suddenly he wants to draw, wants to write, wants to do _something_ with all of these _feelings_ bottling up inside him.

Then Massu grins at him with a quick wave, and Nakamaru thinks he may be a little bit in love with him after all.

“You two have the strangest relationship,” Ueda comments when they get in the van to leave.

“You have no idea,” Nakamaru replies with a fond smile.


End file.
